Spring jobs: November

The last of the spring blooms are falling. The mauve carpets of Jacaranda flowers are covering lawns and the throng of the crickets and songs of the frogs has begun.

Here's a list of the last remaining spring jobs to be done in preparation for a big summer ahead

Photo - Robin Powell

Dead-head repeat-flowering roses to keep the flowers coming.

Pull weeds when they are still young, soft , bright green and vulnerable. Young annual weeds can be composted but those that have gone to seed, or perennial weeds, such as oxalis and onion weed, should be binned as most compost heaps won’t get hot enough to kill the seeds or bulbs.

Don’t forget to add a handful of garden lime to the compost bin every now and then as compositing is a naturally acidic process.

Make a new sowing of beans up the teepee. Expect a kilo of beans from each plant. We like the variety ‘Blue Lake’.

Plant up presents for Christmas - herb pots, flowering hanging baskets, succulent pots - or plan a ‘crafternoon’ with friends and get busy on kokedamas.

Spring-flowering shrubs with arching canes, such as weigela, philadelphus and deutzia shouldn’t be pruned into balls. Instead, maintain their natural fountain shape by removing all canes that are three years or older at the base of the plant.Follow up with a feed and water for fresh new growth.

Set up a worm farm to provide high-quality liquid fertiliser for the garden - and reduce waste.

Give lavender a light trim to promote summer flowers.

Have you caught up with the new name for erisotomon? It has been Philotheca for more than a decade now, but old habits die hard. Whatever you call it, the many cultivars of this Australian native are brilliant spring performers, with starry, white, honey-scented flowers on a neat shrub. Try Edna Walling’s suggestion for a dry spot with philotheca massed in front of coastal tea tree,and prunable Oyster Bay pine, Callitris rhomboidea, at the very back.